From the ancient City State of Athens through the Roman Empire to the contemporary settings of the Western nations, democracy when practiced in tandem with its core values remains the most people-oriented form of government to have been evolved by man. Critical to democracy is the right of the people to periodically decide through the ballot box who and who the custodians of the people’s sacred mandate become. At the very heart of democracy therefore is the right of the people to choose their leaders and invest them with mandate that is subject to periodic revalidation.
Experience has proven that Representative democracy has placed independent candidacy in more challenging circumstances in the face of candidates running on the platforms of recognized political parties. Party politics in a democracy however ,requires viable and vibrant opposition not just for institutional sustainability, ventilation of the political space with fresh progressive views thereby presenting valid choices before the people. Truth be told, political consensus is a rare reality so where viable opposition is neutralized, the future of democracy becomes predictably periled.
I have followed with increased astonishment and utter amazement the gale and flurry of defections going on across the country ahead of 2027 and I have tried to decipher where the marks of endorsements end and where the ambushment of democracy truly begins. I must confess that it has not been a successful task thus far. Many have expressed fear of the possibility of a one-party State. The signs may be evidently ominous as the days go by but my personal fears are indeed palpable. The eclipsing of the opposition signals the erasing of the power of the people in a political conundrum where elite interest and gang up is elevated above the collective desires of the people in power sharing, resource allocation and management for the greater good of all. Accountability becomes a critical casualty.
Remove the people from any democratic equation and what you have left is disguised conspiracy and minority political contraptions and contrivances that cannot in any sense of sincerity be called democracy. True, genuine democracy allows opposition to thrive constructively while warming itself steadily closer to the people through legacy projects and visionary leadership initiatives that inspire transformation and galvanize change. When we compare what is going on now with our experience in the second Republic we begin to wonder whether we have made the needed progress in the entrenchment of democratic values.
The sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was a democrat through and through and it did show in the structure, philosophy and manifesto of his party, the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). The gains in the areas of free education are still speaking. At his passage Chief Emeka Ojukwu had to eulogize him as the best president Nigeria never had. The operations, organizational structure and party discipline of the UPN of those days kept the ruling NPN on its toes. The undeniable truth remains that liberal democracy thrives when there are vibrant political parties to articulate policies and contest elections in a free and fair environment. The uniqueness of the rainbow is in its multiple shades of colours that end up in strength and unassailable beauty.
One doesn’t need any special power of clairvoyance to smell a clear and present danger when one single party bestrides the polity amid weakened opposition parties. It is like a rainbow appearing with just one dominant colour. Even the legislature in this setting cannot live up to the traditional bidding as to providing checks and balances but often assumes the position of a rubber stamp to executive whims and caprices. To now imagine a situation where resources that should be deployed into infrastructure development are being used to induce key political stakeholders is far from being a healthy development.
True democracy gains from boisterous ideological diversity and plurality of opinions in the political space. The complete collapse of opposition at this stage in Nigeria can endanger democratic growth and undermine the interest of the people. Let us not forget that democracy was designed to protect and indeed further the interest of the people. What Nigeria needs at this point in time is a virile opposition to keep the core democratic values alive for the good of the polity. Nations have learnt from experience that weak opposition gives room for the ruling party to get away with bad policies leading to poor governance. It imposes a convention that abridges the age long cherished principle of checks and balances.
Nigerians, who are of age can still recall that in 1962, it was the strident campaign of the opposition that compelled the late Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa to abrogate the Anglo-Nigerian Defence Agreement after the coalition majority in the Parliament had passed it without much fuss in 1960.
Like other liberal democracies, Nigeria’s democratic system can thrive better in the existence of a vibrant and functional opposition. It is not gallantry for a real man to run away from a home he helped to build simply because there are leakages on the roof. Identify the leaking spots and have them fixed, then posterity will judge your actions as heroic.
The absence of a formidable opposition has left Nigeria’s democracy vulnerable to unchecked executive power and excesses as can be seen in the regular resort to borrowing by the Federal Government. The lack of credible opposition often leads to a decline in democratic norms This is neither in the best interest of democratic consolidation nor the Nigerian people.
We are witnesses to how credible and committed oppression in countries such as South Africa has played a more significant role in holding the ruling party accountable. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) continuously challenge the African National Congress (ANC), demonstrating the impact of a functional opposition. The Nigerian opposition needs to regain footing to ensure a balanced and competitive political landscape. A diverse political landscape remains indeed a necessity for a healthy democracy.
A democracy without opposition is imperiled dictatorial one party state that may soon be resisted by the people it craves to serve. Nigeria’s democracy needs to grow through continuous engagement with the people who should be allowed to freely express and exercise their choice in free and fair elections. An ambushed democracy holds no future for any polity. Nigeria’s experience in democracy cannot afford to be scuttled anymore. We need to continue on the path of democracy for it has been said that the worst brand of democracy is still by far better than the most benevolent form of military regime. The time to rally round to save and deepen our democratic values and culture is now
